CO129-445 - Public Offices - 1917 — Page 499

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this doctrine being the doctrine of the result of this war, Germany is brought super-man and the inalienable right of to her knees and the Prussian spirit is the giant to act as the giant; of the crushed for ever, I pledge my word to strong to dominate the weak; of the you that it will be remembered by the powerful to overwhelm and trample upon German people for all time that it was the powerless.

Then came the grrat England who stopped them getting into historian, von Treitschke, breathing the Paris. Yet you are asked to admit these philosophy of force into the very soul people within the bounds of the Colony, of Germany, Why talk of founding remembering that the hate is there and colonies t' he said. Let us take Holland, that it will not be forgotten by them, then we shall have them ready-made. any more than by us, for many years to Then came Bernhardi, soldier and mili come. (Applause.) I shall probably be tary strategist, and frank expounder told in the papers to-morrow that this is of the same philosophy. His book, a policy of retaliation, and that it cannot Germany in the Next War,' presented, be defended upon any Christian ground in all its ugly brutality, the philosophy whatsoever. I have no hesitation in say- of force, Germany may explain the ing that it is not a policy of retaliation Anconia; she may explain the Gulf is just retribution. (Loud applause.) Light, the Petrolite, the Communipaw So much, gentlemen, for the question of and the Persia, the Susser and the sentiment, which cannot be excluded from IB Yasaka Maru. She may indemnify with this argument, say what you will. out apologizing. She may apologize reply to the argument that the time is without indemnifying. But even the inopportune which, after all, is the marvellous richness of the

German policy of "wait and see" which wrecked tongue will never enable her to the Asquith War Cabinet I contend justify her presence in Belgium, that unpreparedness and inefficiency those tiny corpses now forever brought us within deadly peril of defeat, our eyes to the entombed in the iron coffin of the Lusi and blindly to shut

decide fania. For this generation, the word future and say we cannot now Kultur, like Pompey's statue, drips with questions which affect the vast war issues blood." (Applause.)

is to admit practically the same fault which has been charged against Great Britain over and over again by her very foes. (Applause.) And I say it is here and now, before the war comes to a definite issue this Colony, jointly with other Colonies which have already raised their voices, should declare in uncertain manner that, if it be in the Empire's interests, we will not have the Germans back. (Applause.) I have said clearly that we do not seek to dictate- nor do we to the Imperial authorities. All this meeting seeks to do, and all that I har s'riven to do up to

or

50

S

Now,

that gentlemen,

spirit has been

breathed into the

very soul of the people, it has been explained there, that it is part and parcel of their national attitude of mind, and I say that for many years to come it will not be eradicated. It was shown most clearly when the Lusitania wa sunk. A public school holiday was gi through at Germany, at which the Hy

Hate. among other things, was sung. This is one of the verses of the Hymn of

17:

|

no

now.

You will we hate with a lasting late.js that the voice of this Colony might We will never forgo our hat

Hale by water, and hate by land.

Iinte of the head and hate of the hand. Hate of the hammer and hate of the

erown

Hate of seventy millions choking down; We love a one, we hate as one, We have on foe, and one alone.

ENGLAND"

Gentlemen. whatever may happen as the result of this war-and we believe we are about to enter the beginning of the final stage of the struggle, I do not say victory is in sight, but the beginning of the end is approaching if, as FL

ta

be represented at the debate which must inevitably take place ne to the post-war policy of the Allies. (Applause.) It be presumption and Folly would

Alone that this Bay

Colony should exclude Germans. If it were drcided that, for toe benefit of the Em- Dire as a whole, they should be allowed to re-enter the Colonies and our great possessions. Hongkong would not be backward in admitting them if told 10 do 50 in

the the interests of Empire. though

would we certainly not welcome them. (Applausi,) Now, gentlemen, I come to the question which, after all, is the most important of all. I have been charged in anonymous letters

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very day. and elsewhere with not dealing fully by British merchants that with the question of the practicability, But the German firms in question knew or impracticability, of this suggestion. that they had bills falling due in the

Mr. 1 cont.nd, with the Hon.

Anton, near future, and therefore they had to that it is not merely a question of pounds, go on not only selling, but, what was shillinge and pence, and we owe it to more important, they had to go on buying in order that their credit might revolve. those who are fighting that we should be prepared to make sacritices, if necessary, And I contend that the liquidations have both in recoguion of what they have proved this, if they have proved nothing. done for us, and because, ultimately, we else, that when the cargo arrived, the believe, it will be for the national welfare. cargo which was hypothecated against (Applause.) But I contend, also, that it certain bills and on which "letters of would be directly to the benefit of the lien" had been given, was delivered to Colony that we should exclude Germans the Chinese merchant and the money

not for was used, from re-entry into our port for a period obtained for

cf that

for of years. (Applause.) Gentlemen, at the paying

liability but outbreak of war the liquidations proved meeting other bills long overdue. In other that there was no less than 10,000,000 words, that is, in practical phraseology, dollars worth of goods, to say the very charge of criminal fraud. (Applause) least, revolving in credit, which hau I can only tell you from my personal passed out of the control on the nrchant knowledge of the liquidations, although in some cases remaining still in Hong-personally I had no hand in them-there- kong, though in the hands of the Chinese lore, perhaps, I saw more of the game dealer; and, in other cases, already an some of those who had-that it was passed up country and these were all no uncommon thing for the Germans out on credit, and had not been paid here who had cargo in their godowns for. One of the greatest difficulties the which belonged to other people, to carry liquidators had to deal with Was to on the same game, using that cargo, which obtain the money due for these goods, was held in trust, for the payment of which had been delivered on credit terms, fother liabilities which were overdue. That, and, in some cases, on very long credit gentlemen, on very broad lines, was the terms. Now I contend that this system of credit trade which the British 10,000,000 dollars worth of trade was merchants had to meet and which made very largely over-trading, and therefore it so difficult for them, in time of depres

ia unsound trading, and the proof of that sion, to trade, simply because, is that this Colony has been suffering natural with the Chinese, the Chinese from it for nearly two and a half years dealer liked a gamble, and if he could and is only just beginning to recover buy cheaper be naturally took the chance from it. And, at the risk of wearying and gambled, as he will do. The result of you, I want to argue this point a little the liquidations has convinced the mer- more definitely, because the papers were chants of Hongkong that all this trading, not clear in their statements with regard which they have for so long deprecated, to the Chamber of Commerce meeting at was unsound and immoral, and for two which I dwelt upon this very point. It and a half years we have been struggling was no uncommon thing for a Lancashire to produce a state of order out of chaos. traveller, representing A Lancashire That has very nearly been evolved. and manufacturer or Manchester middle-the merchants of Hongkong have said that man, to come to this Colony during credit trade is a thing of the past, and periods of intense trade depression, when I say to-day, with absolute confidence,

RS the result of the merchants were absolutely unable to that,

it, of this port do any trade whatsoever, because business trade

is in was practically sagnant, and for us to thier and sounder condition than it hear of very large orders being placed has been for many years. (Applause.) with the travellers who visited the Again I ask: Will you allow the Ger- Colony. The explanation of that wie man to come back and re-introduce that this. The goods were gold on credit and form of credit, even though he be ham- they were often sold very much below pered, as he will be hampered, by short- the market. They were identical withness of credit facilities from the banks ("No, no.") goods, in some cases, which had been for many years to come? Imported and were really lying ready With regard to the one important ques for sale, for spot cash, in godowns in tion raised in one anonymous letter, as Hongkong, and could have been delivered to whether this Colony should go

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